EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- While Hurricane Matthew ravages the island of Hispaniola, Emmanuel Lamur is waiting and praying.

He's waiting for phone networks in Haiti to be strong enough so he can talk to his aunt and uncle, in hopes that the storm spared their house from major damage. He's praying for the kids he's gotten to know during his offseason work at the orphanage his aunt helps manage, clinging to the belief they'll be OK.

The Minnesota Vikings linebacker is the son of Hatians who fled the country for Florida in 1984, five years before Emmanuel and his twin brother, Sammuel, were born. Emmanuel spends much of his offseason in Haiti, and his work there has formed bonds that are tugging his heart back to the country this week.

"I just hope it's not that bad," Lamur said. "For family members there, it's tough for them to get in contact with people here. I really didn't hear anything from the family members there -- just my uncle [two days before the storm]. I didn't hear from the orphans or my auntie. I've got to just wait. I'm just staying prayed up, and that's all I can do right now."

Haitian officials said Thursday morning that 108 people had been killed by the storm, which hammered the Caribbean island this week before heading toward Florida. It is only the most recent natural disaster to strike the country, where more than 100,000 people are estimated to have died in the 7.0 earthquake that hit the country in January 2010.

Many of the homes that are the most vulnerable to the storm, Lamur said, are aluminum-roofed shacks in shantytowns. "I don't know how they do it, but they're strong people out there, and they find ways to [recover]."

During a lively discussion about the storm and the efforts to offer humanitarian aid, Lamur said what the country needs, in many cases, is simpler than money.

"It starts with your heart. Don't give just to give," he said. "You want to give because you care. You've got to look at it from a different perspective, like if you were in that situation. That's how I look at things when I'm giving. Give whatever you have that you don't even use. There are people who have a bunch of food cans in their drawers, and they're not using them. Little things like that are beneficial for Haiti, and even anybody who's going through the situation in Florida. If I happen to talk to someone, and they want to give, my advice is to give with your heart -- whatever you have in the garage, in storage, in the cabinet. Whether it's two cans, three cans, anything will help, especially in Haiti. The kids, their daily meal is, what, two bread loaves and peanut butter? That's it. A can of food would do them just right."